


Paddy

by robron_til_the_end



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Conversations, Family, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 13:44:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8847319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robron_til_the_end/pseuds/robron_til_the_end
Summary: Set within the current time in Emmerdale, Aaron and Paddy try to fix their relationship.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was really just a mess of my own thoughts, trying to fix the Aaron Paddy relationship. Really didn't go the way I planned but thought someone might want to read it anyway.

Chas looked up eagerly as Paddy came into the pub. Thank God, she’d been waiting for him to make an appearance for the last couple of days. “Free pint?” she suggested, smiling at him from behind the pumps.

“What do you want?” Paddy asked easily.

“Can you have a word with Aaron?” she asked. “He’s… not his usual cheery self.”

“That’s normal for Aaron, isn’t it?” Paddy asked.

“You know what I mean,” Chas said, exasperated.

“Yeah, I do,” Paddy said, taking a swig of the drink Chas had just poured for him. “But… it’s not the same between us. Me and Aaron. He won’t talk to me any more. And certainly not if the problem’s Robert, which from the look on your face, it might well be.”

“Something’s wrong,” Chas said.

“Have you tried…”

“Of course I’ve tried, Paddy!” Chas interrupted, frustrated.

“Chas, I want to help him,” Paddy said. “But the way we are right now, I think I’ve got to wait for him to come to me this time.”

“Okay,” Chas said, though she didn’t seem happy.

“You know what he’s like, if I push him to talk and he’s not ready, he’ll close up. And if it is Robert that’s bothering him, that’s a sore subject with us anyway.”

“Fine,” Chas said. “I’ll give Aaron a nudge to come and see you.” Paddy smiled at her and took another drink.

* * *

 

“Have you got five minutes?” Aaron asked. It was two days later and Aaron looked decidedly twitchy. Paddy followed him to a corner booth in the pub where no one could disturb and they were unlikely to overhear. Aaron looked down at his half drunk pint, fiddling with his engagement ring. Paddy didn’t quite know where to start. It always was a fine line with Aaron, who needed a gentle push to open up, but too much of a shove was counter productive.

“Where’s Robert?”

“Don’t start.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Paddy said holding his hands up. “I was simply asking.”

“Late meeting.”

“Right,” Paddy said.

“No,” Aaron said, reading between the lines. “It is a late meeting. It’s not another… _me_.”

“Okay,” Paddy said, trying to keep his voice light. “Aaron, you clearly want to talk. I can’t guess at what you want to say.” Still that didn’t get a reaction from Aaron, except for him to sigh and continue circling the ring on his finger. Paddy felt that Chas was right, it was about Robert.

“You are coming to the wedding aren’t you?” Aaron said suddenly, out of the blue. Paddy paused just a second too long. “And I mean, coming to wish us well, not coming to stand and scowl in the corner and bring the day down.”

“I will if you want me there,” Paddy said. Aaron stared at him, then seemed to come to the conclusion that Paddy meant it and nodded. But he didn’t speak any further. “Is Robert treating you well?” Paddy tried. Aaron nodded, slowly, but the movement was there.

“Aaron…”

“I’m worried,” Aaron started, knowing he had to talk. “Or paranoid. About Robert seeing someone else.”

“Right,” Paddy said, trying not to jump to conclusions. “And… why do you think that?”

“I knew this was a mistake,” Aaron said, getting up. Paddy grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

“You’re the one who wanted to talk,” Paddy said.

“But you don’t like him,” Aaron said. “So this is pointless.”

“No, I don’t,” Paddy said. “But I love you, you idiot.” Aaron sat back down. “Why do you think he’s cheating?”

“He’s not,” Aaron said. “But I have this fear that he’ll go off… with Rebecca. Or someone.”

Paddy kept his composure with difficulty. “But… he’s with you so…” Paddy started.

“He’s bi,” Aaron said, suddenly feeling like he shouldn’t be having this conversation with Paddy. “Look, forget it. It’s my problem.”

“Aaron, come on,” Paddy said gently. Aaron said nothing. “What if you met another bloke?” Paddy asked. “What would you do?”

“Nothing,” Aaron said simply, as if it was a stupid question. “I’m with Robert.”

“Then why’s that not enough, if you think about whether Robert met someone else?”

“We were an affair Paddy,” Aaron said. “He doesn’t do faithful, and I…”

“You don’t believe you’re the exception,” Paddy finished for him. Aaron felt defeated, because that was the exact truth of it. How could he be the exception? Nothing was special about him.

“What if you hadn’t been single when you met Robert?” Paddy started. “What if you were in a relationship with someone else? Would you have had an affair then?” That is a very good question and Aaron has no idea how to answer it. He can’t separate how he feels for Robert now, with how he felt for Robert then. Sure, there was lust and attraction. And deep desire, but it wasn’t love. Not then. Would he have gone with Robert anyway if he himself was taken?

“If I were in love with this theoretical guy,” Aaron started slowly. “Then no, I probably wouldn’t have started anything with Robert. But if it had been casual, I don’t know what would have stopped me. I knew I shouldn’t go anywhere near him and that didn’t stop me. He’s held a gun to my head, he’s shot you and even that is not enough to stop me going near to him. Because… I love him in a way I never expected to feel for anyone at all.”

“Why don’t you trust that he feels the same?” Aaron knew the answer to that, he just doesn’t want to say it to Paddy. The honest answer is because during the affair, Robert told both him and Chrissie that he loved her. That he’d never hurt her because he loved her. If Robert wanted to start an affair now, he’d probably be telling Aaron the same things. It's a familiar lie.

“Aaron, if he wants to cheat, it doesn’t matter how close an eye you keep on him, he probably will.”

“That’s not exactly comforting.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.” Aaron almost laughed.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Have I helped?”

“Sort of,” Aaron said with a shrug. Paddy held his tongue with what he wanted to say, which was that Robert only wanted Aaron because he couldn’t have him. He knew Aaron wouldn’t want to hear it. Also knew that Robert had saved his life at least twice. “Thanks,” Aaron said again, finishing his drink, smiling at Paddy and going upstairs. Paddy wasn’t sure if he’d helped at all, but the fact that Aaron even came to him for a conversation had to be progress.

Ten minutes later, Robert came in, his eyes scanning the pub for Aaron. When he didn’t see him, he moved to go behind the bar, but Paddy stopped him. “A word?” Robert considered it, then nodded and they both left the pub.

“What do you want?” Robert asked. Paddy hesitated. “Look, I’ve had a really long day, my patience is incredibly low and all I want to do is curl up with Aaron. So if you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“If you ever hurt him, I will kill you,” Paddy said, trying to be intimidating. Robert wanted to laugh, because this situation seemed absurd, but he held it in. It wouldn’t help right now.

“I don’t want to hurt him,” Robert said. “What’s he been telling you?” Paddy shook his head, because he wasn’t about to break Aaron’s confidence. “I love him. I won’t do anything with the intention of hurting him.” Paddy sighed heavily. “Does this mean you’re coming to our wedding?”

“Yes, I told Aaron I would,” Paddy said, making Robert’s face break into a smile.

“He’ll be thrilled.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Robert echoed. “He wants you there.”

“This is not me accepting you with him,” Paddy warned. “This is because I want to be here, to pick up the pieces for him when you break his heart.”

“You’ll be waiting a long time, then,” Robert said with confidence. “I have no intention of hurting him, I want to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him.”

“He’ll be devastated within the year,” Paddy said. “But I’ll be there for him. This does not mean I like you.”

“Noted,” Robert said coldly. He left Paddy outside and quickly found Aaron lying on the bed fully dressed, though his eyes were wide open.

“Hey,” Robert said, taking his jacket and tie off.

“Hi,” Aaron replied. “How’d it go?”

“Got the deal,” Robert said smugly. “For twenty percent more than I expected as well.”

“Good,” Aaron said, watching the smile on his face as he continued to undress. “You’re buzzing from it, aren’t you?”

“I love knowing I’m good at what I do,” Robert agreed, sitting on the edge of the bed. “How was your day?”

“Fine,” Aaron said. “Tried to smooth things over with Paddy a bit actually. Not sure it worked.”

“Come here,” Robert said, kissing him deeply. It had been a long day, and he needed Aaron’s touch to ground him. Robert slipped his hands under Aaron’s T shirt suggestively.

“Oh,” Aaron said with a grin as they parted. “You want sex.”

“Well… I was thinking it could be going that way,” Robert said. “But if you’re not in the mood…”

“No, I am,” Aaron said with a smile. “I just love it when you come home after a long day.”

“So do I,” Robert breathed against his neck.

“I love you, you know?” Aaron said.

“I know,” Robert breathed, pulling Aaron’s shirt off. “And I love you too."


End file.
